What is Butterfly Pea Flower?
Body System Affinity
Nervous System, Skin/Hair Health, Cognition, Eyes, Blood Sugar Health, Vasculature and Heart, Throat Chakra
Herbal Actions
Anxiolytic (Anxiety-Inhibiting), Mild Anti-Depressant, Nootropic, Mild Aphrodisiac, Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, Blood Sugar Support, Anti-convulsant, Blood Pressure Support
Herbal Energetics
Neutral, Cooling
Butterfly Pea is native to Southeast Asia--particularly to countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, parts of Africa, and the Philippines (as they thrive in tropical and subtropical environments!). This pea family plant has a long history of use in the culinary arts, often added to rice and desserts! They make a unique adornment and natural food coloring due to their hypnotic blue hue that interacts with acidity to turn purple--giving foods and beverages a mood-ring effect. Butterfly Pea has gotten a lot of attention for their beauty in recent years, but also holds medicinal properties and can be utilized practically for dyeing textiles, creating gorgeous paints, and more!
Why we love this herb:
Also known as Anchan, Shankupushpam, or Aparajita, Butterfly Pea is an herb that we love looking at through medicine traditions of the regions they grow in. Ayurveda has a lot to say about their nervous system nourishing properties, as well as their benefits for cognitive clarity. With their striking blue color, Butterfly Pea is also energetically associated with the throat chakra center and can support the clearing of blockages.
